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| Broken Group Islands [Vancouver.Com] |
Broken Group Islands are set in Pacific Rim National Park on the West Coast of Vancouver Island. There are more than 100 islands. Six islands have park-maintained campsites: Hand Island, Dodd Island, Turret Island, Gibraltar Island, Gilbert Island and Clarke Island. Solar composting toilets are provided at designated camping areas. The maximum stay in a camp is four days and the maximum stay in the park is fourteen days. Camping fees apply from May 1 to September 30. Peak season in the Park is between mid-July and the end of August. (BC Marine Trails)
Canada's unneighborly pipeline deal threatens orcas and climate
Washington Governor Jay Inslee writes: "Our neighbors in Canada have been good partners in the fight against climate change and efforts to keep our seas healthy. However, this week Canada took a major step backward...." (Seattle Times Op-Ed)
How Justin Trudeau and Jerry Brown Can Help Save the Great Barrier Reef
Bill McKibben writes: .... "If you possibly can, you should see the Great Barrier Reef. It’s glorious, the most psychedelic corner of God’s brain. It’s not by any means all dead. In fact, after our dive on the desolate section I’ve described, we motored a few minutes to another section of the Opal Reef, this one by a channel of water that apparently had flowed fast enough to cool the corals somewhat during the worst of the bleaching. When we dived, there was beauty all around us. Chevron butterflyfish. Orange-tailed damselfish. Plate corals in three-color morphs. A giant clam with neon filaments in its mouth, which closed comically when Kerry gave it a tug. You’re looking in on another world, so alien that its inhabitants barely recognize you as an intruder—schools of fish dart just a few inches to avoid you, and then carry on. But, even as you marvel, it’s hard to ignore the truth that this is a lovely realm we’re about to blow up—by 2050, on current trends, coral-reef researchers believe this ecosystem will be gone, not just in Australia but around the world...." (The New Yorker)
B.C. government says Kinder Morgan revenue-sharing pact still in place
The B.C. NDP government expects Ottawa to honour a deal to pay the province up to $1-billion if the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion goes ahead – despite its continued opposition to the project. Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain subsidiary inked a profit-sharing pact with the B.C. government on April 6, 2017, after then-premier Christy Clark agreed to support the expansion project. In exchange, Ms. Clark’s government publicly confirmed that the project met its conditions for approval and committed to timely processing of permits throughout construction. Justine Hunter reports. (Globe and Mail)
Otters, kelp and eagle nests
Reader Tony Angell writes: "Amid the negative news and frustrating news, I sure enjoyed the upbeat news of sea otter's return to BC coasts with resulting kelp rebound as essential habitat. [Eagles Deck Out Their Nest With Kelp] That kelp employed as nesting material is surely another benefit. To the degree that it may also provide some particular return to the eagles as insulation or more might be another research project. Ferruginous hawks of eastern Washington decorate the edges of their nests with sage perhaps providing some pest or parasite resistance on behalf of the young hawk. They also place dried cattle dung along the nest edges (used to be buffalo in parts of their range) that could also confuse ground predators sniffing about their nests for a meal."
Tacoma Ocean Fest
A brand-new festival will take Tacoma’s waterfront by storm on June 10 by bringing together arts, sciences and water sports to help the city celebrate the ocean, learn about its threats and get inspired to protect it. Held on the internationally-celebrated World Oceans Day weekend, Ocean Fest is a free festival at the Foss Waterway Seaport that features local and international artists, filmmakers, musicians, dancers and even an aerialist to highlight the beauty and fragility of the ocean and its creatures – especially those in the Salish Sea/Puget Sound. Rosemary Ponnekanti reports. (Tacoma Weekly)
Dead Liberty Bay anchovies likely the result of natural processes
Hundreds of forage fish were found dead, washed ashore at the northern end of Liberty Bay on Tuesday, May 29. While the dead fish raised some concern among locals for the health of the bay, a scientist with the Department of Fish and Wildlife said the cause was likely natural. Initially it was reported that the fish appeared to be smelt, after a biologist with the Suquamish Tribe incorrectly identified the fish in a photo provided by Kitsap News Group. Phillip Dionne, a scientist with the Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Marine Fish Science Unit, said based on the photos he had seen, the dead fish were actually anchovies. Nick Twietmeyer reports. (Federal Way Mirror)
Second mate fell asleep on grounded tug off Vancouver Island: TSB report
The Transportation Safety Board says the second mate on a tug that ran aground off Vancouver Island missed a planned change of course because he fell asleep while he was alone on watch. About 107,000 litres of diesel and more than 2,200 litres of lubricants, including gear and hydraulic oils, leaked into the Pacific Ocean after the Nathan E. Stewart ran aground in October 2016. The board says the second mate had been working a schedule that didn’t allow for sufficient rest while off duty. (Canadian Press)
E.P.A. Takes a Major Step to Roll Back Clean Car Rules
The Trump administration took a major step toward dramatically weakening an Obama-era rule designed to cut pollution from vehicle tailpipes, setting the stage for a legal clash with California that could potentially split the nation’s auto market in two. The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday formally submitted its proposal to roll back rules that required automakers to nearly double the fuel economy of passenger vehicles to an average of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. The rules, which would have significantly lowered the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions, were opposed by automakers who said they were overly burdensome. Coral Davenport reports. (NY Times)
Europe may soon launch wide-ranging solutions to plastic pollution
Taking on the enormous problem of plastic pollution in the ocean, the European Union is on track to ban single-use items made of plastic, while communities in Washington state slowly adopt bans on plastic bags. The European Commission is targeting specific plastic products that constitute 70 percent of the items found among marine debris lost in the sea and along the shoreline. Cotton swabs, plastic cutlery, plates, drinking cups and straws are among the items that would be banned outright, because non-plastic alternatives are available. Chris Dunagan reports. (Watching Our Water Ways) See also: Last Straw For Plastic Straws? Cities, Restaurants Move To Toss These Sippers Sara Kiley Watson report. (NPR)
Malaysia's Petronas to take 25% stake in Kitimat, B.C. LNG project
Malaysian state-owned energy company Petronas says one of its wholly-owned entities has signed an agreement for an equity position in the LNG Canada project in Kitimat, B.C. Petronas — which did not divulge the investment amount in a news release early Thursday — says it expects the agreement to be completed in the next few months once regulatory approvals are obtained. The announcement comes less than a year after Petronas and its partners scrapped a $36-billion megaproject in British Columbia. (Canadian Press)
Shellfish harvest closure lifted for this Whatcom County beach
Biotoxin levels for shellfish at Drayton Harbor have dropped to the point that state health officials are lifting the closure for that area. Unsafe biotoxin levels are still being detected for the molluscan shellfish including clams and oysters on other beaches in Northern Whatcom County, according to a news release from the Whatcom County Health Department. All other beaches from Sandy Point north to the Canadian border, including Point Roberts, remain closed.Dave Gallagher reports. (Bellingham Herald)
Interior Secretary Doubles Down On ‘Konnichiwa’ Comment To Hanabusa
In the ICYMI Department: U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa is still beefing with Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke over his “konnichiwa” greeting during a committee hearing two months ago. This week Zinke, who’s an appointee of President Donald Trump, took to Breitbart News Daily for a radio interview, and defended his statement by saying he had “friends that were Japanese.” (He also took advantage of the friendly environment to support Trump’s border wall and stick up for his push to shrink national monuments.) Nick Grube reports. (Civil Beat)
Residents opposed to Mason 'septic lagoon' despite state paving way for approval
Bio Recycling is still awaiting permit approval from Mason County and the Department of Ecology to move forward with plans to build a double-lined lagoon to store treated biosolids, amid outcry from community members. The Department of Ecology and Mason County determined in March that the facility’s proposal to build an 18-million-gallon, double-lined lagoon to store treated wastewater and septage in Union will not have a probable significant adverse impact on the environment. The determination of nonsignificance, part of a state-mandated process, kicked off an intense period of public comment and meetings, wherein Ecology and Mason County received more than 100 comments from individuals, tribes and state agencies weighing in on the project. Arla Shephard Bull reports. (Kitsap Sun)
Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 227 AM PDT Fri Jun 1 2018
TODAY SE wind 10 to 15 kt. Wind waves 1 to 2 ft. W swell 5 ft at 12 seconds. A slight chance of showers in the morning then a chance of rain in the afternoon.
TONIGHT SE wind 5 to 15 kt becoming SW after midnight. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 6 ft at 11 seconds. Rain likely in the evening then a slight chance of rain after midnight.
SAT Light wind becoming NW 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 5 ft at 10 seconds. A slight chance of showers in the morning.
SAT NIGHT W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 5 ft at 10 seconds.
SUN W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 4 ft at 9 seconds.
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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato (@) salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.
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